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Review
. 2022 Feb 17:13:806344.
doi: 10.3389/fneur.2022.806344. eCollection 2022.

Quality of Life and Role of Palliative and Supportive Care for Patients With Brain Metastases and Caregivers: A Review

Adela Wu  1 , Gabriela Ruiz Colón  2 , Michael Lim  1
Affiliations
Review

Quality of Life and Role of Palliative and Supportive Care for Patients With Brain Metastases and Caregivers: A Review

Adela Wu et al. Front Neurol. .

Abstract

Brain metastases (BM) are the most commonly diagnosed secondary brain lesions in adults, influencing these patients' symptoms and treatment courses. With improvements in oncologic treatments, patients with BM are now living longer with their advanced cancers, and issues pertaining to quality of life become more pressing. The American Society of Clinical Oncology has recommended early implementation of palliative care for cancer patients, though incorporation and implementation of palliative and other supportive services in the setting of true multidisciplinary care requires additional attention and research for patients with intracranial metastases. We review the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial challenges patients with BM and their caregivers face during their cancer course as well as the current published research on quality of life metrics relating to this patient population and the diverse roles specialty palliative care, rehabilitation services, and other healthcare providers play in a comprehensive multidisciplinary care model.

Keywords: advanced cancer; brain metastases; caregiver; palliative care; quality of life; supportive care.

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Conflict of interest statement

ML has research support from Arbor, BMS, Accuray, Tocagen, Biohaven, Kyrin-Kyowa, and Urogen. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The handling editor declared a past co-authorship with one of the author ML.

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